Anyone else experience an abnormally laidbad puppy?

[Stephanie]

Hi,

 

Just curious if anyone else has any expereince  of an EXTREMELY laid back / low energy pup?   We have been trying to work through some diarreah issue since coming home last Saturday.  So here's our timeline:

 

Brought Perry home last Sat -   she did great in crate, made it all night!  Played, did great potty training, and treats! - slept w/ snuggle puppy & heartbeat.

**  I have kept her on same food as breeder , so as to not create any other tummy issues.

Sun - Monday -  she's pretty laidback - no extreme bouncyness, or  romping in general. She has a few spurts here or there of playing with chew toy, playing ball etc..

Monday - Vet check up -  slept through ENTIRE appt - prompted VET to inquire about her energy level, appetite , stools etc. - told us to come back if no improvement in enrgy. 

Monday - tues -  barely eating at all - diarreah and  by tuesday afternoon  sleeps almost entire day!

Tuesday afternoon -  slept almost all day - shakey back legs.  When we'd go outside to potty, she'd just lay down and not walk anywhere.

Spoke w/ breeder, mentioned energy level, stools etc -  swithced over to adding  boiled chicken & white rice to calm tummy  , discontinue all  ( non food) treats . Also recommended to drizzle Karo over food, incase it's hypoglycemic related low blood sugar due to loss of appetite.

Tuesday night - after getting chicken, rice etc - HUGE burst of energy...   then bed time

Wed - did ok, by wed afternoon, shakeyness reappeared - went back to Vet.

No paraistes or worm present, blood sugar good. -  he prescribed an anti-diarreahal paste - it has worked SOME, not completely.

Wed. night & thursday - GREAT energy, eating good

Friday - eating good, playing outside ** note that when I say PLaying - it' s a very LAZY play - we have only yet to hear her back twice since she came home?  if she's not mad about being crated ( temporarily) then she never makes even a whimper.

Sat - back to no eating, no energy, sits down outside  etc....   she doesn't take opportunity to play w kids.  just this am , she sat in my sons lap in for a ride in the car, and did't even CONSIDER trying to sniff his donut!!!

 

she won't respond to any type of treat after pottying anymore either - ever since i quit giving her "treats" and just kibble as a reward.  she won't even eat it.

there is a bowl of fresh chicken & rice in my kitchen she left...  took a few bites...

 

Just worried -  is she just transitioning, sad being away from litter?  will her energy pop up?

 

I've just read SO much about all the other  'energetic, bouncy , chewy trials  other puppy parents experince....  and it just has me worried!

 

Don't get me wrong, she's SUPER sweet, and we have loved her & snuggled her to death -  and if this is her that's fine - but it just seem a little "off" if ya know what i mean??

 

she has barked 2 times since we brought her home....

 

 

[Leslie J]

Cocoa mostly slept the first two weeks after we got her- the kids were a bit disappointed because she wasn't interested in much else.  Then, after a couple of weeks she rediscovered her puppiness... and became much more energetic. 

She was also a poor eater and didn't eat much until I read the DK Food Group and discovered just how awful the food she ate (Nutro) was.

Cocoa is still a low energy dog.  She probably sleeps 20 hours a day, only perking up for walks or if the kids are running around.

[Martha & Cooper]

I must have missed it somewhere in there, but exactly how old is your puppy?   A very young puppy is not going to be as energetic as one a 5 or 6 months old for example. She may just need time to adjust to her new surroundings.  

 I would be worried about the diarrhea and shaky legs.  I had this problem with Cooper and was told he would outgrow them.   Now, I think it could be a sign of things to come.  Please consider getting Pet Insurance right away.    You may never need it, but it has helped us tremendously and it is so much better to get it before you have ANY tests or diagnosis put in your pet's chart.   They become "pre-existing" conditions and are not covered then.      I recommend PetPlan.  Look at gopetplan.com    You can do a search on this site for other companies, but putting pet insurance in the search box at the top of the page.   

You are lucky if you end up with a dog that doesn't bark much!   Cooper didn't bark much either when he was very young, then I left him with a trainer for a weekend and there were other dogs there.  He learned to bark from the other dogs.   Now, we are working on stopping the inappropriate barking!  

[Bryce P]

Huff was always pretty lazy, slept 1/2 the day. He also had zoomie moents, thrashing toys, playing. But he has always been a pretty low-energy doggie. Don't worry to much, just bring other healthy dogs in to play an maybe she will perk up

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

I would ask the vet to check for Addison's disease immediately.  It is a simple blooddraw in which electrolyte levels (sodium and potassium) levels are checked.  If they are out of whack it strongly suggests Addison's which can be verified with a before and after blood test, injecting with a pituitary hormone after the first blood draw.The pituitary hormone stimulates a properly working adrenal gland and the gland releases cortisol, which is measured in the blood draw.  A poorly functioning or non functioning adrenal gland will not release cortisol appropriately.  

The extreme lethargy and lack of interest in food plus shaky legs suggests something other than "adjusting" to a new home.  For some reason many vets do not seem to think of Addison's - it is fairly rare, but easy to test for. Addison's is a failure of the adrenal gland, it is treatable for a long and healthy life.  Treatment is not cheap though. 

I am sorry to say this, but if it were my puppy I would be camped out in the vet's office.  Tigger was very mellow and laid back, quiet, slept a lot - but not like this at all.

 

 

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Hi again

 

I tried to edit my previous post and say that I would ask the vet for a wellness blood panel with an electrolyte check.  Your puppy sounds sick.

In addition, giardia does not always show up in a stool sample.  It only shows up during a certain phase of the parasite's maturation.  I don't remember which phase, but during that phase something is shed that does show up in a stool sample.  Tigger had giardia for about three-four months when he was very young.  Lots of diarhea - yuck, but very hungry and had short play periods every day.  Never as listless as your pup.

I hope it is something easy like giardia.  But a little money for testing now can save a whole lot of money later.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I think the fact that you are asking means you feel there may be something not right.  The shakiness and lethargy and also the disinterest in food/treats would make me worry too.  As well as camping out at the vets please put your breeder on notice that you are having the puppy investigated and before you do any of that (if you haven't done it already) take out pet insurance just in case.

Ps I wouldn't worry about the barking though.  We didn't hear from Riley until he was six months old and he hardly ever barks at all now.

[Stephanie]

Thanks for all the advice everyone... she had a GREAT day Sunday.  I think we are finding it's very much appetite related... if she doesn't eat...  she just doesn't have the energy = and she did not eat well on sat - the saturday - her energy crashed.

the diarreah seems to have resolved...  it's not exactly FIRM. but I am assuming that since's she's only been home 7 days alot of that is still transitional? 

Yes, we have been working closely w/ the breeder and she's fully aware. We did add a little canned Innova this weekend, just to perk her appetite up.  She ate well on Sunday and had great periods of playing, awake 2 hours or so at a time... growling/ playing etc...

 

I guess right now it's a trial and error period to peak her interest in food.   I am offering meals at least 3 x's a day, and not leaving it out all day seems to help. she eats better when it's not left out, so she will eat more at one time.

PLUS it was wreaking havoc on housetraining leaving food out all day = and she was decorating her crate w/ food and not eating it at all...

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

This is very good news! I would not expect her digestive system to be completely back to normal for the first two weeks--so a little softness in the stool at the end of Week 1 is not a cause for too much concern.

Cosmo was a relatively calm puppy and is still a pretty laid-back dog. She probably has that in her personality, too.

But lethargy, as others have pointed out, can be a sign of serious illness. So it's great that you are keeping your breeder and your vet informed.

It's probably nothing in this case, but it never hurts to be watchful!